‘Power foods’ vs Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss – they’re just as good but without the drugs’ side effects, a doctor of nutrition explains

Almost 1 billion people worldwide are obese and at an increased risk of diabetes, cancer and more. But there are foods that can actually cause weight loss

On World Obesity Day, nutrition experts talk about these low-fat, plant-based, affordable ‘power food’ types, and how to keep off the kilos in a healthy way

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Berries, citrus fruits and melons are three groups of “power foods” that can help in losing weight. A nutrition doctor explains how they work, while we look at shedding the kilos and keeping them off. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:15am, 3 Mar 2024Updated: 8:06am, 8 Mar 2024

Nearly 1 billion people around the world are living with obesity. That is one in seven people, according to the World Obesity Federation.

On March 4, World Obesity Day, the organisation aims to raise awareness of the problem’s scope, and how to manage it.

Obesity is on the rise in many parts of the world, including Hong Kong. The Department of Health’s Population Health Survey 2020-22 found 32.6 per cent of Hong Kong adults to be obese, and 22 per cent to be overweight.

This is a significant increase from 2003-4, when the prevalence of obesity was 21.1 per cent, and 17.8 per cent of people were overweight. In 2014-15, the percentages of people who were obese and overweight were 29.9 and 20.1, respectively.

Nearly 1 billion people around the world are living with obesity – a condition that comes with huge increased health risks. Photo: Shutterstock

The trend is concerning: obesity is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, joint problems and premature death, says Professor Alice Kong from the department of medicine and therapeutics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

As obesity rises, so too does the economic burden. The World Obesity Atlas 2023 projected that healthcare expenditures attributed to overweight people in China alone would rise from US$36 million to US$118 million from 2020 to 2035.